Safety-razor



R. H. PARKER.

SAFETY RAZOR. APPLICATION FI LED JANrG, 1919.

Piitented Aug. 17, 1920.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RILEY HERBERT PARKER, OF WINTHROP, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GILLETTE-SAFETY RAZOR COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OFDELAWARE.

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SAFETY-RAZOTt.

Specification'of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

Application filed January 6,1919. Serial No. 269,742.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RILEY HERBERT PARKER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Winthrop, in the county of Suffolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSafety-Razors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to safety razors of the type in which stops areprovided for engaging the cutting edge of the blade and positioning itwith respect to the guard, and resides in certain improvementshereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating my razor as preferablyconstructed, with the parts in operative position;

Fig.2 is a similar view showing the holder opened to receive orreleasethe blade;

Fig. 3 is an end View of the razor with the parts in the positionillustrated in Fig. 1, and i Fig. 4 is a plan view of the end of therazor with the blade removed. I

The razor illustrated in the drawing comprises a handle 2, a head 3secured to one end uof the handle and extendingtransversely thereto, anda guard 4 formed on the front edge of the head 3, these parts being offamiliar'construction. At its rear edge the head 3 is provided with apair of upwardlyextending portions 5 carrying at their upper ends apmtle 6 extendingparallel with the guard, and on this pint'le is hingedthe rear edge of a cap-piece 7 provided at the ends of its front or freeedge with downwardlyprojecting stops 8 adapted to engage and overhangthe front or cutting edge of the blade, which is shown at 9. Preferablythe cap-piece is also provided near its front edge with a pair 'of lugs10 extending downward from its ends,- the function of which is to'position the blade and cap-piece as described below. 11 indicates astiff spring secured at one end to the head 3 and projecting upwardabove the latter at its free end, where it is provided with a seat 12adapted to receive and support the rear edge of the blade 9 and locatedslightly above a plane drawn tangent to the guard 4 and including thepivotal axis of the cap-piece 7. T 0 insert the blade the cap-piece 7 isswung upward'to about the position shown in Fig 2, the front edge of theblade is enin the closed position shown in Fig, 1, in.

which the edge portion of the blade rests-on the top of the guard 4, thelugs 10 lie outside of the ends of the head 3 and the stops 8 occupyspaces provided therefor at the ends of the guard. During the closingmovement of the cap-piece the rear edge of the blade pivots in the seat12, and the normal or free position of the spring 11 is such that as thecutting edge of the blade moves toward the guard the seat 12 is forcedbackward against the resistance of the spring. In consequence; when theholder is closed the spring exerts a pressure on the rear edge of theblade whereby the latter is held against the stops 8, and since thefront edge of the blade is below the dead-center position with respectto the axis of the cap-piece the spring also holds the blade in contactwith the guard, thereby maintaining the parts in position for use untilthe holder is opened by swinging the cap-piece 7 upward: During theclosing and opening movements of the cap-piece the blade is preventedfrom moving endwise by the lugs 10, which are located near enough to thefree edge of the ca -piece to overlie the ends of the blade in alposipiece such as might result from looseness or wear at the pint In thespecific construction illustrated the cap-piece 7 is so shapedthat whenthe holder is closed the front edge of the ca J-piece, between the stops8, bears upon an reinforces the blade a short distance back of its cutting edge, thus providing a backing which is advantageous in case theblade employed is so thin that such reinforcement is necessary ordesirable. If the blade employed is so stiff that such a backing is notneeded, the cappiece 7 may of course have any desired configurationbetween the stops 8.

Th advantage gained by positioning the cutting edgeof'the blade by meansof stops formed on the pivoted cap-piece is that the blade can beengaged with the stops and then rear edge may be swung down upon the,guard without danger of injuringits cutting edge,"i-whereas in priorrazors in which the stops are permanently located at the ends of theguard it requires considerable care to engage the "blade with the stopswithout dulling its cutting edge by contact with the guard. Other-advantageous features of my invention reside in the formation of the seatfor the rear edge of the blade on the free end of the spring whereby theholder is kept closed,

and'in the provision of the cap-piece with downwardly-extending lugs solocated as to prevent endwisemovement of the blade.

in all positions of the latter, as well as lateral play of the cap-piecewhen the holder is closed, but various other means for. positioning theblade and supporting its employed if preferred. .I claim p 1. In asafety-razor, a holder comprising a guard, a cap-piece pivotally mountedon an axis parallel withfthe guard and provided with stops adapted toengage and position the cutting edge of a blade, and means formaintaining the blade in operative position when the holder is closed.

2. In a safety razor,.a holder comprising a guard, a cap-piece pivotallymounted on an axis parallel with the guard and provided with stopsadapted to engage and position the cutting edge of a blade, a seat.adapted to support the rear edge of the I a guard, a cap-piecepivotally" mounted on blade and a spring whereby the holder ismaintained in closed position. Y

, 3.-In a safety razor, a holder comprising an axis parallel with theguard and provided with stopsadapted to engage and position the; cuttingedge of a blade, and a spring providedwith a seat adapted to receiveandsupport the rear edge of the blade, said seat being located above thedead-center' position of the blade with respect to the pivotal axis of ecap-piece and arranged to press the blade against said stops when theholder is closed.

5. In a safety razor, a holder comprising a handle, a head securedthereto and provided with a guard, a cap-piece hinged to the head on' anaxis parallel with the guard and provided with stops adapted to engageand position the cutting edge of a blade, downwardly-extending lugscarried'by the cap-piece near said stops and adapted to embrace the endsof the head when the holder is closed, and means for supporting the rearedge of the blade and for maintaining the holder in closed position.

6. In a safety razor, a holder comprising a handle, a headse'curedthereto and provided with a guard, a cap-piece hinged to thehead on an axis parallel with the guard and provided with stops adaptedto engage and position the cutting edge of a blade, and a spring fixedat one end with respect to the handle and provided at its free end witha seat adapted to receive and support the rear edge of the blade at apoint above the dead-center position of the blade with respect to thepivotal axis of the cap-piece, said spring being arranged to press theblade against said stops when the holder is closed.

7. In a safety razor, a holder comprising a handle, ahead securedthereto and provided with a guard, a cap-piece hinged to the head on anaxis parallel with the guard and provided with stops adapted to engageand position the cutting edge of a blade, a

spring fixed at one end and provided at its free end with a seat adaptedto receive and support-the rear edge of the blade at a point above thedead-center position of the blade with respect to the pivotal axis ofthe cappiece, said spring being arranged to press the blade against thestops when the holder is closed, and downwardly extending lugs carriedby the cap-piece near said stops and adapted to embrace the ends of thehead when the holder is closed.

Signed at Boston, Mass, this fourth day of January, 1919.

RILEY HERBERT PAR-KER.

